In a bid to justify the most expensive digital migration in Africa – StarTimes has handed over 2 Outside Broadcast Vans to the Zambian Government.
The vans will be used to upgrade the outside live broadcasting capability of Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), which will enable the national TV station to obtain, edit and transmit high definition signals in real time at outside events.
The vans are part of the digital migration project which has been criticized as one of the most expensive in Africa.
Four out of the 15 member states that make up the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have fully migrated from analogue to digital terrestrial television (DTT) – Malawi, Mauritius, Tanzania and Namibia.
Zambia’s US$273 million digital migration project will see the 63 digital TV transmitters installed across all the 10 Provinces.
Government is implementing the digital migration project under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting services and the project will also cover construction of ZANIS studios, 6 Provincial Studios, training of staff and construction of national centres in Lusaka and Kitwe.
Government also established TopStar as the public signal distributor under a joint venture between StarTimes of China and ZNBC.
StarTimes is providing USS$44 million towards the project through provision of equipment and technical expertise.
The two OB (Outside Broadcasting) Vans and one DSNG (Digital Satellite News Gathering) Van were handed over to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services in Beijing, China.
Zhao Yueqin, Vice President of StarTimes Group said: “I sincerely hope that the delivery of OB and DSNG vans will help to satisfy Zambian people’s demand of watching more TV programs and to enhance the influence of Zambian TV industry in African continent.”
Ms Zhao says StarTimes will provide support to ZNBC after the delivery of the OB Vans with training to operational staff of both the OB and DSNG vans.
On receiving the van MIBS official Beaton Kaluba said the hand over of the OB vans marks a milestone for Zambia’s digital migration project.
Kaluba who is MIBS director for Planning and Information led a delegation to China to inspect and receive the three vans on behalf of the Zambian government.
Kaluba said that he was deeply impressed by the quality and advanced technology of the whole outside live broadcasting system and expressed his thanks to StarTimes for their contribution to Zambian digital migration.
Kaluba led a delegation to inspect the vans in China? So once you inspect then what? Its not like DEADNBC is buying these vans, star times is simply handing them to justify the corruption involved in the US273 million scam. Imagine of this money was channeled towards agriculture, just how many people will benefit and export food to earn the much needed Forex? Instead they decide to single source and loot the meager resources, impotent leaders without vision indeed.
And the $44 million contribution by StarTimes in form of equipment, service support, staff training, etc., Just escaped you, right? And if you think modern Agriculture practices don’t require Timely, Reliable, and Accurate decemination of information that this UPGRADE can bring to bare, then yours is 18th century form of Agriculture….the antiquated mouth-to-mouth sort of business.
Sometimes you have to take some of this criticism with a ‘grain of salt.’ You have to understand where it is coming from. Most of these critics are probably COMPETITORS in this space and wouldn’t want to see another equally formidable player. Especially that the competitor is Chinese….and you know the uneasiness Western Oriented Media has towards anything Chinese. I am sure South African media would…
Continue….
love to continue having a free reign in that region without a serious competitor. And the coming of Chinese Media Companies, with advanced Technology and Finances to March, scares the hell out of them.
Also when people say it is the “most expensive deal,” what factors are they basing this assertion on? Is it just the Amount? Unfortunately, they rarely tell you this part. They just want you to focus on the figure. Surely, no one wants to see corruption influencing projects of this magnitude. But is equally unfair to always insinuate corruption even when we don’t have proof corruption drove the approval process. It is simply NOT HELPFUL or PRODUCTIVE.
Let’s learn to give praise where it is due. Thumbs up to our patriots who are working so hard to bring development to our nation in the midst of fierce ‘Pull-Them-Down-so-we-can-take-over’ propaganda!
Do you understand the phrase “..the most expensive digital migration in Africa…” ?
Or do you think Zambia is too rich to mind that ?
@ Spaka, when somebody makes such an allegation, they must give facts to support their argument. What would your response be if accused you of having swindled me by selling me a newly built 4 bedroomed house in Rhodespark at a quarter of a million kwacha (K250,000)? Hope you get the point!!!
Umwina Nkana
If I paid k250,000 of my children’s money for a house in rhodespark when comparable houses are selling for k50,000 then my children have the right to call me a corrupt thief coniving with you the seller….
You see the relevant facts you’ve brought out to back your argument? Unfortunately, the article does not do that and omitted all such relevant facts and only jumped to ‘its’ conclusion. You don’t do that! Let facts speak for themselves!
Umwina Nkana….
It is common knowledge that the migration is the most expensive in Africa…if not it is up to GRZ to deny this and put citizens fears that they are not corrupt at rest…..
That $273m digital migration! Corruption will never develop this country. Or maybe the OB vans are part of the digital migration deal? The gap between the rich and poor in this country will be getting wider and wider till 2021
Those are trucks , not vans….from my experience in digital broadcasting those trucks are too big….even sky and BBC broadcasting use smaller vans that do the same job. …..i do not understand
….maybe they need those trucks to act as temporal studios in rural areas that have already been earmarked to have studios built and costs of those studios that have not been built is in that expensive migration….
Those trucks will definitely be used for company purpose by pf…lol
@Spaka…., Where does BBC or Sky mostly do their “out-of-studio” broadcasting from? Do you really want to use smaller vans in Zambian tarren, which is mostly rural with bad roads still? How long do you think those would last?
You see, this is the kind of analysis and comparisons that makes most seemingly “educated” Zambians sound silly and shallow. Can you please try to think even if you seem to be on a mission to drive a certain agenda and negative point of view….it helps to compare oranges to oranges instead of just putting things out there that have very little in common.
Bring to more information about what is involved in the Malawian contract and Namibian contract, does it include the renovation of broadcasting stations, the building of 10 provincial stations, how many provinces are in Malawi as compared to Zambia and Namibian, I don’t think its very difficulty to bring this kind of information to the public for us to appreciate that there is corruption here.
“…I don’t think its very difficulty to bring this kind of information to the public for us to appreciate that there is corruption here…”
Or there is no corruption…..that is if GRZ is open and honest , and want to prove they are not corrupt, they can provide such info…..
It was going to be helpful if you gave us the total costs incurred by the other countries mentioned and the package of the contracts. How do we make govt accountable without knowing figures?
When your taste buds are faulty nothing can be tasty in that mouth. How come anything that is done by those in government always is in bad taste with these minority is our society? At least for once let these insulting mouths tell us what they are doing to improve on their status and that of the NEIGHBOR. We are simply tired of the same sentences coming up in every subject of discussion on this blog. No one President shall put food on your table but only try to facilitate good policies that may, and I repeat may, help you to achieve that. Nzelu ni weka.
The only issue i have is why go all the way to China and inspector vans that are coming here eventually .who incurred travel and accommodation expenses for the entourage ?
The problem with you Zambians is you are too jealousy. Some of you envy the guy because he went to China. You don’t even know who facilitated his passage to China but you are already shooting the guy. Use your time wisely putting food on your table and spreading love in your community that always being hateful, envious and wasting your time shooting down others when they are developing.
No shame at all…its takes a foreigner to come and help you revamp your own house you sold for a song…when Chibamba was CEO you would have easily given him $200million from Eurobond but instead you let him go around looking for used cameras on sale.
ZNBC poor quality picture and their news is boring